Back from our annual summer hiatus we dive into the life and times of the effervescent Sandy Duncan, best known for her appearance in the award winning miniseries Roots, her Broadway portrayal of Peter Pan and her lead role in the series The Hogan Family. Doug relives a traumatic audition for The Fantasticks and we dissect Gags Beasley's famous Banana Sketch.

Next Week: Candice Bergen

Credit: The Muppet Show - The Walt Disney Company FAIR USE ACT DISCLAIMER Fair Use: Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Fair Use Definition: Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching and scholarship. It provides for the legal, non-licensed citation or incorporation of copyrighted material in another author's work under a four-factor balancing test.   

What we knew about British comedian, presenter and game show host Bruce Forsyth prior to this episode was next to nothing, but one of UK television's most ubiquitous characters had a long and fascinating career. Despite our ignorance Doug actually has a personal connection to Sir Bruce who hosted a short lived game show in America in the mid-1980's on which his cousin-in-law appeared. We also present the QPR NYC British Game Show Host XI, and discuss who we would want to emcee our memorial services. 

Next Episode: Sandy Duncan

Credit: The Muppet Show - The Walt Disney Company FAIR USE ACT DISCLAIMER Fair Use: Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Fair Use Definition: Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching and scholarship. It provides for the legal, non-licensed citation or incorporation of copyrighted material in another author's work under a four-factor balancing test. 

One of the great sketch comedians of all time joins the Muppets this week and doesn't quite live up to his reputation. We discuss Korman's role on the Carol Burnett Show, the history of comics not hogging the laugh lines, cracking up on live TV and what it means to be "halfway down the stairs". Also, the return of cocktail parties hosted by 95-year-olds.

Next Week: Lena Horn

Credit: The Muppet Show - The Walt Disney Company

FAIR USE ACT DISCLAIMER Fair Use: Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Fair Use Definition: Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching and scholarship. It provides for the legal, non-licensed citation or incorporation of copyrighted material in another author's work under a four-factor balancing test.

Oh, but he's so much more than that. This week's guest star is French crooner Charles Aznavour. Known to many as "the French Sinatra", Aznavour lived a long and fascinating life. We talk about the impact of French culture in America, Aznavour's progressive politics, and deep connection to his Armenian roots and we tell some French army jokes right off the top. Plus, Scooter works with Gonzo on his act, and Piggy is driven mad by Aznavour telling her she needs to have her transmission and tire pressure checked in French.

Next Week: Harvey Korman

The Muppet Show - The Walt Disney Company

FAIR USE ACT DISCLAIMER Fair Use: Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Fair Use Definition: Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching and scholarship. It provides for the legal, non-licensed citation or incorporation of copyrighted material in another author's work under a four-factor balancing test. 

This week's guest star is the diminutive songwriter and actor Paul Williams who made a name for himself writing songs for the likes of David Bowie, Helen Reddy, the Carpenters and Three Dog Night. Doug discusses the change in who could be a frontman that was brought about by the rock n' roll revolution, and how the same trend could be seen in Hollywood. Plus, I relive the nightmare of music cue sheets and we talk about technological utopianism and the debut of a new character…Dr. Bunson Honeydew.

Next Week: French crooner Charles Aznavour

The Muppet Show - The Walt Disney Company

FAIR USE ACT DISCLAIMER Fair Use: Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Fair Use Definition: Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching and scholarship. It provides for the legal, non-licensed citation or incorporation of copyrighted material in another author's work under a four-factor balancing test.

This week's guest star is Florence Henderson, who will forever be remembered as the matriarch of the Brady family but also enjoyed a career on Broadway before hitting it big in TV. After the hit show went off the air in 1974 she followed what had become a well-worn path for celebrities of the time, making countless appearances on TV game shows, most notably Hollywood Squares and the $25,000 Pyramid. Plus, Doug recalls some of the perks of having a father who worked in the advertising industry, including the time his family got a tour of the Paramount lot given by a member of the Mod Squad and the early peeks he would sometimes get of Mission Impossible scripts.  

The Muppet Show - The Walt Disney Company  

FAIR USE ACT DISCLAIMER Fair Use: Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Fair Use Definition: Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching and scholarship. It provides for the legal, non-licensed citation or incorporation of copyrighted material in another author's work under a four-factor balancing test.